Man who turned himself in after calling 'ah long' hotline says it gave him relief
December 28, 2012 - 1:56am
By: Syahirah Anwar
A loan shark was so racked by fear and guilt that he turned whistle-blower when he called the X Ah Long hotline in 2010.
Chris (not his real name) had been assisting loan sharks and their "clients" by opening bank accounts for money transfers.
After he spilled the beans, he was arrested but nothing happened for two years.
In May this year, he was charged with assisting an unlicensed moneylender and sentenced to six months' jail and given a $90,000 fine. The jail term was later reduced on appeal.
The appeals judge, when cutting Chris' sentence, wondered aloud if Chris could be made an ambassador for the hotline.
Now a free man, Chris said that calling the X Ah Long hotline was the right thing to do as it gave him relief from the fear he had of loan sharks.